Found You
by Jet MacLeod
Summary: This is set during WITCH HUNT, but then goes AU. What happens when Emma gets back to Storybrooke and the one person that she wants to seek out is Regina? She can't explain the pull and she goes to Regina for answers. Disclaimer: ABC, Adam and Eddie own everything. I am just borrowing for entertainment purposes only. Enjoy. Updated-going to follow parts of FIND ME, too.
1. Found Me

_A/N: For those of you who have already read this, there is more. I don't know what happened but it didn't pull the entire document when I uploaded it. Sorry. And, please remember to review. Still not sure if I am going to make this longer, but stay tuned just in case. Thanks, ~JET_

**Found Me**

She sat behind the wheel of her yellow bug and stared at the front door of the house. She was silently debating even if she would go to the door and knock. She came back because Hook gave her the potion. She came back because she knew that Henry would want her to do it. But, she came back because the first thing that she remembered was Regina. She remembered how Regina made her felt.

The longer she stared at the door the more she remembered the dreams that she'd been having in New York. Sure, she'd been with Walsh, but her dreams over the last year never let her get past our hang ups. Walsh had been a good guy, until she found out he was a flying monkey and Hook had been right the entire freaking time. It wasn't Hook that was her true love and she was sorry for that. He was a handsome enough man, but she wasn't who she wanted. She wanted the woman who had been plaguing her dreams.

She sat there, not moving, still pondering her dreams. How could she have known who Regina was before she remembered? What was it about Regina that has stuck with her? She wanted to know. She needed to know why Regina was so hard to forget. She wanted to know why all she could think about since she saw Regina in the diner earlier, when she'd spotted Henry and freaked out, was finding Regina and talking to her again.

She knew that Regina had every right not to see her. She knew that but she felt the need to explain herself. She knew that Regina would be in town. She just thought that she would have more time to see her before she explained everything about Henry to her. She didn't think that she would be in the diner that early in the morning.

Emma looked at her dash and wondered. She didn't know what happened in the past year for them, but she knew that her year in New York with Henry was wonderful. She was happy with the memories that Regina had given her and the ones that she had made. Emma sighed. She had these wonderful memories with Henry and the truth, and then there were the dreams that had Regina.

Emma looked back up at the house. She knew the 108. She knew the interior, but she still sat in the bug and stared. She was brought out of her daze by a knock on the door. She turned sharply to see Regina.

"I am sure that you have a good explanation for sitting out here this long. Don't you Miss Swan? You could have just called if you were too scared to knock," Regina told her.

"I'm sorry."

"Are you going to sit out here all night or are you going to come in and tell me why you're here?"

"Yeah," Emma replied as she got out of the car.

She followed Regina back into the house. She shut the door and turned to head into her office, when she saw Regina move towards the living room. It hadn't changed even though so much had for both of them. She wasn't surprised when Regina went to the corner and poured them both some cider.

"Got anything stronger?"

"I am sure that you would like some whiskey, Miss Swan, but I know that you came here to talk."

"I did?"

"Why else would you be outside sitting in your death trap building up the courage to come here?"

"That obvious?"

"You have always had a hard time of hiding things from me, Miss Swan. I knew about your adventures with my son before you actually admitted it. I do however have to admit that I was surprised to see you both this morning at the diner. I am sorry that I didn't play it off well. Thank you for helping me recover in front of Henry."

"I am sorry that I didn't call you when we got back."

"I understand your reasoning."

"I am sorry that he doesn't…"

"Remember me? It hurts, I'll admit that. I didn't think that it would hurt so much to see him, but not have him. I thought that if I could see him, that the pain wouldn't be so bad," Regina replied.

"I am sorry."

"You keep saying that but you have nothing to be sorry for."

"If I hadn't come to Storybrooke in the first place," Emma started.

"Oh, please, Miss Swan, there is a long list of people that led to the curse. You just broke it. I have no one to blame but myself. I cursed my life and now, I have to pay for it. I knew that when I sent you both away. I just never expected for you to come back."

"I don't think that I did either. I didn't remember any of this. I didn't remember you or my parents. I can't explain the pain that I felt when I did. I felt like my mind was going to explode. I didn't know what else to do. I knew that I had to come back. I had to find you."

"Had to find me?" Regina asked, taking a long drink of her cider.

"Yes, I knew that you would be only person beside Gold that could help me help Henry."

"So, I was your last resort," Regina mused.

"No, you weren't. I remembered that Gold was dead. I hoped that if Hook knew Storybrooke was back that you would be here, too."

"Really?" she asked, cocking her eyebrow.

"Look, I know that we fought a lot especially about Henry, but you are still his mother, too. I was so mixed up when we got into town. I took us straight to Mary Marg…Snow's. I didn't know what to expect. I just knocked on the door. I was pleasantly surprised when David…Dad answered the door."

"And, then you never thought to call me?"

"It wasn't that, Regina, I promise. I didn't know how to tell you. I mean: did you really want me to call you and say, 'Hey, I'm back in town. Henry's with me, but he doesn't know anything about you. Please come on over to my parents apartment and scare the shit out of him as your fawn all over him'."

"I do not fawn over Henry."

"Of course you don't, Regina. I didn't know how to tell you. Do think that it was easy for me to leave New York? I know that if Henry had his memories, he would have wanted me to come back. Do you think that I like lying to him? I had to tell him that Snow was an old school friend. That she called me to help her with a case, which is why Hook came to get me. She couldn't because she is pregnant."

"And, Ruby and the rest?"

"I told him that I'd worked a case here before. I befriended most of the town. I don't' think that he completely bought it, but at least he isn't questioning why everyone knows who we are. He doesn't understand it, but he knows that everyone is nice and friendly. I think the only thing that he is questioning is how everyone knows who he is. I never talked about any of this before the other night."

"He is a smart boy."

"I know. I can't tell him that I knew you before and then it was gone. Then Hook shows up and suddenly, I remember twelve years of our lives differently. I had a hard enough time dealing with being the savior. I can't imagine what this is going to do to him."

"He is the truest believer."

"He was."

"You don't think that we should tell him?"

"About magic? That his grandparents are younger than his mother? That his grandmother is about to have a child that will technically be his aunt or uncle? That the mayor is his other mother that raised him for the fourteen years that he spent with me?"

"I see your point."

"I am sorry, Regina. I tried to give him some of the potion. There wasn't anything left."

"I can try to replicate it."

"You want to?"

"I want to know what happened to me last year. I want to know why we are back here and not in the Enchanted Forest. I want to know why I remember everything from watching you leave with our son and then nothing until I woke up in my bed a week ago. Yes, I would love to replicate it and try it."

"You want Henry to remember you, too," Emma stated.

"Yes, there is that, too. He is…will always be my son. Of course, I want him to remember me."

"That isn't the real reason that I am here," Emma said.

"Then, what is it that you would like to tell, Miss Swan."

"Can you tell me why you can't call me Emma?"

"I am sorry?"

"You always call me Miss Swan. Is there a reason that you can't use my first name? I know that you know it. Why can't you use it?"

"I find that I only use it when there are personal reasons involved."

"Personal reasons?"

"Yes," Regina answered, looking at her sternly.

"Such as?"

"Is this what you really want to know, Miss Swan?"

"No, it isn't."

"Then what?"

"I want to know why you plagued my dreams for almost a year. Then a week ago, nothing, you vanished. The mere days ago, the dreams started again. The one that I had the day Hook showed up on my doorstep was the most intriguing and most disturbing."

"I don't know what you are talking about, Miss Swan."

"Of course, you don't, Regina. I guess if I ran upstairs into your closet I wouldn't find anything that I shouldn't know about. I wouldn't be able to reach in there and pull out clothes that I shouldn't know about but do. The same for the vault, there isn't anything in there that I shouldn't know about."

"Not that I am aware of, no."

"Come on, Regina. I know it was you. I remember all the dreams. They are more like memories."

"I don't understand."

"You don't remember anything?"

"No, I am afraid that I don't."

"Do you know who the first person that I remembered was?" Emma asked her.

"No, I don't."

"It was you."

Regina just stared at her for a good while before she took another sip of her cider. She waited for Emma to continue, to tell her more, but she just sat there staring at her. Regina finally couldn't take the silence. She didn't know what Emma wanted from her. She didn't know what Emma wanted to hear. She was just as lost as Emma was, now. There was a year missing and she couldn't just magically make it come back. She couldn't make herself remember something that she had been cursed to forget.

"Me?"

"Yes, it was you. I don't know why. I can't explain it, but you were the first person that I remembered. I would have thought it would have been Henry, but he was already in my life. You were in my dreams even though I didn't have a name for you. I knew exactly who you were as soon as my memories came back. I can't explain it away. I didn't remember my mother or my father, but you."

"I don't know what to tell you, Miss Swan. I can't explain something that myself I don't understand. The only thing that I can guess is that I made quite the impression on you for you to remember me first."

"That is the best you got, Regina, really?"

"I don't know what you want me to say."

"I want you to tell me the truth."

"About what?"

"You told me before we drove away and the curse overtook the town that you would give me a gift. You told me that you would give Henry and me good memories and we would have always been together. You did give us good memories. They were beautiful and I wanted to thank you for that. I am just wondering that in doing that could you have possibly marked my dreams?" Emma asked.

"I am sure that anything is possible."

"Why did you do it?"

"Because I wanted Henry to be happy. I didn't want him to be alone. If he couldn't have me, he could have you. I wanted him to have you from the beginning. It would make your transition as his mother more seamless and easier for you both. It wasn't something that I wanted to do. I wished that I could have taken Henry back with us. I know your parents wanted you back there as well, but the curse couldn't affect you. You were both born outside of the curse and therefore couldn't come with us."

"I know all that. I understood that then. I understood that you were giving me a family, something you knew that both of us had been craving for a while. I just don't understand why you made the memories so happy. I mean, we were really happy, Regina."

"There is nothing wrong with being happy."

"I know that, but having both sets of memories is …"

"Difficult?"

"To say the least."

"I am sure that your parents would be better equipped to have this discussion with. They also have two sets of memories because of the curse. I made sure that I remembered who I was, but I would be someone with some power when we came to this land," Regina told her.

"I know that. I…I can't talk to them. They try so hard, and I love them for it. But, it is hard to accept that my parents are around my age because of a curse. Don't get me wrong, I respect them, but they can't make up for twenty-eight years of not being there. Honestly, it was easier to deal with them when they were just my friends and not my parents."

"Speak for yourself."

"Listen, I know that things weren't easy for you when you got back."

"I am sure that you know."

"Regina, you don't even know. I imagine that it was hard for you all. You knew that Henry was with me and we were okay. You hoped that we were happy. But, if I was you, I would think that you were in unbearable pain. You lost not only your son, but…everything, again. "

"Why are you here, Miss Swan?" Regina asked suddenly very agitated at how the conversation was going. She didn't want to deal with unknown feelings. She didn't want to speculate. She wanted to know what she couldn't remember. She wanted to get her life back. She wanted Henry to know her.

"I can't shake a feeling that I've had since I got my memories back."

"Yeah, and what is that?"

"That there is more to what's going on than you are telling me," Emma stated.

"How can I tell you anything if I don't know anything?"

"That's the point. That is how I know that you aren't behind this curse or whatever it is. If you were, you would know what was going on."

"I would hope so, Dear."

"There you go, again. Can't you just call me Emma. Why do I always have to be Miss Swan or Dear? I thought, more of, I've remembered that we were starting to become friends after Neverland. I had to always remind Mom and Dad that you weren't the Evil Queen anymore. I never met her. I've always known you as Regina the mayor or Regina, Henry's mom. Why can't I just be Emma?"

"You are the sheriff."

"Even then, you mostly called me Sheriff Swan," Emma stated.

"Are you sure you really want to argue with me over your name?"

"No," Emma answered.

"Then, what is it?"

"I came here to test a theory. I guess I was wrong. I am sorry to have disturbed you," Emma stated, standing up and placing her tumbler of cider on the table. She pulled down on her shirt and leather jacket. She gave Regina a weak smile as she started towards the front door.

Regina seemed puzzled and upset by her behavior. She knew that Emma was never one to back down. She was upfront about that at their first meeting. This was not like Emma, at all. She didn't…couldn't understand at the moment why her actions hurt Emma so much. It was like there was some connection they shared that Regina had forgotten. After all they had been through together, especially for Henry's sake, Regina was actually having feelings about the situation and they were anger or hatred. She wasn't sure what she thought about this.

"Wait," Regina stated, following her to the door.

"What is it, Regina? I am not in the mood for any games. I need to figure out what happened to everyone. I'm tired and I just want to go to bed."

"Emma, wait," Regina said.

She turned around and looked at the mayor. Emma couldn't read the emotion in her face. She didn't know what had changed suddenly between them. She just knew that Regina looked scared and…she couldn't put words to it.

Emma felt her own body sag from the weight of emotional baggage she carried. Tonight, it was just too much to bear alone and for once, she saw the same feeling in Regina's eyes. Tonight, they could share the pain of the unknown for just a minute without meaning anything.

"I'm sorry," Regina told her.

"For what?"

"Pushing you."

"Pushing me?"

"I can't…I can't let anyone in. Every time that I do, they get hurt. Either I hurt them or someone else does. I can't…I can't break again. We all know what happened last time."

"Yeah, you cursed an entire kingdom," Emma replied sarcastically.

"I should have taken my heart like my mother did."

"Lot of good that did her," Emma added.

"You're not helping."

"I'm trying to lighten the mood. Regina, we all know that it was an act of revenge. I know that you and Snow may never see eye to eye on anything expect Henry and I'm okay with that. She does know that you mean well and that you have changed. Hell, even David commented on it. They don't see you as a threat. They may not tell you, but they want you as an ally. You know you are still technically her step-mother. As messed up as that is, she still respects you."

"I know."

"Do YOU? Do you know that she still remembers the young woman who risked her own life to save hers? She fell in love with that Regina and that is only person that she had to compare the Evil Queen to. She didn't understand that there really isn't a black and white always. Sometimes there is gray and you are the epitome of gray."

"Well, thank you for that, Miss Swan," Regina replied.

"I didn't say that to hurt you. I think out of everyone in this town, I understand you the best. I didn't have the same upbringing, but I had to fight for everything. I had to let things go. I had wishes and wants that I couldn't obtain because I was in the system or jail or whatever. I lost Neal. You lost Daniel. We gained Henry in the process. He really is the catalyst that pushed us both to becoming better people. Henry should be called the savior. He saved us both."

"That he did."

Regina smiled, slightly. There was still something hidden in her eyes. Emma couldn't read it fully but she could swear that Regina was starting to show some happiness in her eyes.

"You should meet him," Emma stated.

"It would be too hard. I couldn't. He doesn't know who I am. I can't bear him looking at me and looking through me. He isn't my Henry anymore. He is yours."

"He will be yours again. We'll find a way. We always do."

"That must be a Charming thing," Regina stated.

"I guess it is," Emma replied, laughing.

"You should be going. I am sure that Snow and Charming are worried about you. I will call you tomorrow. Let me think about it overnight," Regina suggested.

"If you're sure," Emma stated.

"I am not, but I don't really have a choice."

Emma could see the sadness returning to her eyes. She wanted to make it go away. She didn't know why but she couldn't take seeing Regina in pain. Maybe it was because of her dreams. Maybe it was because she remembered the woman that she cared for and the woman who gave her false memories with her son. Maybe it was the night air. Maybe it was the way the moonlight came in through the sidelights in the foyer of the mansion. Emma couldn't place it, but she knew that she wanted to erase the look of pain from Regina's face, now and for forever.

She couldn't stop herself. She didn't realize what she was doing until she was staring into confused dark, nearly black eyes. She didn't remember leaning into Regina until she backed up and saw her parted lips. She heard Regina's exhaled sigh, or was it a light moan, Emma couldn't tell. She licked her lips and she could taste the cider from Regina's lips on hers. She could smell the mixture of vanilla and apples swirling around her. She blinked and hoped that she wasn't dreaming, again.

"Please don't be a dream, this time," Emma whispered, barely loud enough for Regina to even hear.

"I'm not. I'm right here, Emma. I promise."

A/N: I don't know where this came from but I needed to write. I might expand it, but right now, I'm not sure. I have so much on my plate, but I decided to put it out there to see what my other "Oncers" thought about it. I mean I am sure that I could add to it, but then I would have to change the rating. Please read and review and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading anyways.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The next morning Emma found herself at Granny's eating breakfast with Mary Margaret, David and Henry. She hadn't seen Regina come in and sit at the counter. In fact she hadn't been paying attention to anything that was really going on around her. She was lost in thought and everything kept going back to the night before.

Mary Margaret saw the look on her face, but didn't say anything. She knew that Emma would talk to her when she was ready like she had before. She knew that it was hard for her being back in Storybrooke with her memories of everything that had happened and the fake memories that Regina had given her as well. She knew it was even harder for her because Henry was the only one who didn't remember the past. He was blissfully oblivious to the curse and they had all agreed to keep it that way.

When Regina got up to leave, she noticed the family in the corner and smiled. She caught Mary Margaret's eye and she smiled back. Emma came out of her daze in time to see her mother's smile and turned to see who she was smiling at. When she saw Regina as she was leaving the diner, her heart melted and she quickly stood up.

"I have to go for minute. I'll be right back. I need to ask Regina something about the case," she told them as she quickly left the diner.

Mary Margaret cocked her head in question, but didn't push for answer. She was stunned by Emma's confused daze earlier and now her quick need to talk to Regina. She figured that Emma was looking for answers to questions that only Regina could answer. It hurt her a little bit, but she knew that Regina was on their side this time. She didn't know how she knew that, but she did.

Emma caught up with Regina in the outdoor seating area. She practically ran to keep up with her. She didn't know why but she knew that she had to talk to Regina. She felt compelled to do it.

"Regina, wait," Emma stated, almost catching her by the arm.

"Yes, Miss Swan," she replied, turning around to the see the fierce emotion in Emma's eyes.

"We need to talk."

"We did that last night, dear."

"Rather I would like to talk to you, alone, away from prying eyes, if you will," Emma explained.

"About what, Miss Swan?" Regina asked, keeping her voice even and devoid of emotion.

"Last night."

"Come by my office in an hour. I'll block out some time for you. Also, I'll talk to your father about making you a deputy until you decide to leave. I am sure that it will make it easier for you to deal with this imaginary case you are on for Henry's sake."

"Thanks, I'll talk to David. I'll see you in an hour. And, Regina, thanks."

Regina just shook her head as she walked off to City Hall. Emma walked back into the diner and sat down with her family. David cocked his eyebrow at her and sipped his coffee.

"What was that about?" he asked, setting down his cup.

"She mentioned that there might be enough money in the budget for a deputy," Emma started.

"She did?"

"She figured that if I was going to be here a while, working my case, I could help out if needed. I mean Storybrooke is a small town. How much crime could be committed? Plus, I'll never turn down an easy job. The more money I make on this case and while I am here, the more time I can spend with Henry when we go home," Emma told them.

She noticed the slight wince from both of her parents at the mention of her going home, to New York. To their credit, they didn't say anything about it. David actually smiled at her, happy that they were going to be "working" together again as sheriff.

"Sounds good. Why don't you come by later and I'll swear you in. You can use the cruiser too. That way you don't have to use the Bug for official business, plus the free gas. "

"But, what about you?" Emma asked him.

"I like using the truck more," he answered and took another sip of his coffee.

Henry smiled. He liked Storybrooke, but he missed the City, too. He knew that he could be happy here. He saw that Emma was happy there with her friends and now another job. There was just something about the town that familiar. He knew that he would tell her later that if she wanted to stay, they could.

"Well, I got to go. Got a lead last night I need to check up on. You good with Mary Margaret for a while, Kid? I can call Killian and see if he could you some sailing lessons, but it looks like rain."

"Nah, Ma, I'll stay with Mary Margaret. I told her last night that I would help her decorate the baby's room. I am sure that we can go sailing with your friend, Killian, later," Henry answered.

"Okay, Kid, love you."

"Love you, too, Ma."

Emma made her way to City Hall and into Regina's office. She smiled at Regina's secretary and went on in her office. She didn't wait to be introduced. She didn't wait for Regina to tell her to come in, she just did it.

"Manners as impeccable as ever, I see," Regina replied.

"I need to talk to you."

"So you said. Have a seat, Emma. Tell me what it bothering you," Regina told her.

"I talked to Dad. He agreed that me working with him would be good. I'm to be sworn in, again, later."

"Stop avoiding the subject, Dear."

"How do you do that?"

"How do I do what?"

"Be like that," Emma replied.

"I am afraid I don't understand the question."

"Do you not feel anything?"

"I feel plenty, Emma. What are you referring to? My heart breaking every time I see Henry? Or, the fact that I have learned to hide my emotions because in my line of work and position, emotions are dangerous?" Regina asked her.

"Yeah, that."

"It is called years of practice and an intolerant mother."

"About last night…"

"What about it, Miss Swan?"

"I am sorry if I said or did anything out of line."

"Out of line?"

"I believe that I may have kissed you before I ran home to my parents."

"You did indeed kiss me."

"I was afraid of that."

"Why?" Regina asked, putting her pen down and giving Emma her full attention.

"I don't know why I did it. I mean I can guess why I did it. I just hadn't planned on doing it. It was all like a dream and I thought I had dreamed it. I am sorry," Emma told her.

"There is no need to apologize, Emma. You weren't alone last night. Our emotions were running high and you needed the release. Besides, it wasn't a bad kiss."

"I need to tell you something."

"About your dreams that lead you to me?"

"Yes," Emma replied.

"Then, tell me."

"It all started on the way back from Boston. I had a bad break up. Par the course, Henry and I went to Boston for the weekend for me to lick my wounds with some old friends. We took in a Red Sox game. I don't know what happen, but that it weekend that I began to dream about you."

"Because of a baseball game?" Regina asked.

"I have no idea what that had to do with you or the dreams, but yes. I didn't know it was you at the time. But, I couldn't shake the feelings that arose in me from that first dream. It plagued me and I still don't know why. I need to talk to you about that."

"So, tell me more about these dreams, Emma," Regina stated, still sitting stoically in the mayor's chair.

_Emma was driving back to New York. Henry was watching her. He didn't know why but something was wrong. It was more than the disappointment of a break up and who Jacob turned out to be. He was glad now that his friends hadn't been able to come with them. It bothered him that his mother wasn't happy and he didn't like it. This was the normal procedure. She would break up, they would go to Boston for the weekend and then they would come home happy and ready to face anything. This time something was horribly different. She looked like she hadn't slept. There was this blank look on her face that he didn't recognize. She was distant._

_"Ma?" _

_"Yes. Henry?" she asked him, not turning her eyes from the road._

_"What's wrong?"_

_"Nothing, why?"_

_"Don't lie to mc. I got your 'superpower,' too. Something is wrong. You don't have to hide it from me. I maybe only fourteen but I'm sure that I can handle it. Okay?"_

_"Okay, but there isn't anything wrong, Henry. I promise. I am fine."_

_"Ma, come on."_

_"What, Kid? What is it that you think is so wrong with me? And, don't give me that wicked grin, either. I taught you that. Why do you think something is wrong with me?"_

_"I can just tell."_

_Emma actually turned to steal a glance at her son. His explanation was usually all she would need. She thought that she had been able to mask her pain, but she knew now that she was wrong. Henry could see it and he wasn't going to let it go. He wanted her to be happy, always, like she did for him. It was one of their fatal flaws. They were always worried about someone else's happiness more than their own. Emma figured it was the fact she was his mother, because she knew she never felt like that until he came into her life. She did everything for Henry and he knew it._

_"Ma?"_

_"Yes, Henry?"_

_"Are you still upset about Jacob?"_

_"No, not really."_

_"I believe you."_

_"Thanks, Kid," she replied sarcastically._

_"If it isn't Jacob, what is it?"_

_"You really aren't going to drop this are you?"_

_"Nope."_

_"You are too much my Kid," Emma replied, laughing._

_"Well?" he pushed._

_"I just didn't sleep well," Emma told him._

_It was a half-truth. She really hadn't slept well, but it was because of her dreams. She just couldn't shake them. She was glad that Henry took her explanation and didn't push further. He sat back in his seat and stared out his window for a full five minutes before he said anything else._

_"Bad dreams?"_

_She turned and stole another glance at him. She shook her head. She should have known better. She knew that he would try to process the information she gave him before he would try a different approach. She did the same things sometimes when she was hunting a bail jumper. He was definitely her Kid when it came to getting information. He wanted to know the whys of everything._

_"Something like that," she told him._

_"You aren't going to tell me, are you?"_

_"I don't know what to tell you. I woke up because of them, but I don't remember any of it now. I just know that they kept me up most of the night. I'll be okay once we're back in New York," she told him._

_"You sure?" he asked her._

_"Yes, Henry, I'm sure."_

_He smiled at her and then turned to look out the side window. She stole another glance at him. He reminded her so much of Neal and herself that it was uncanny. She shook her head to banish the thoughts about Neal. She didn't need to be worrying about what he was doing now. She didn't care. She did care, but she was still mad at him for leaving her in jail to take the fall and pregnant. She also didn't want to deal with Henry if they ran into his father._

_She had raised him on her own for fourteen years. She couldn't understand why all of the sudden she was worried about Neal showing back up and complicating things. She figured that if Neal wanted to know how she was doing that he would have found her by now. She shook her head and banished the thoughts of Neal coming back into their lives from her head._

_She looked over at Henry and smiled. He truly had saved her life. Yeah, she was scared shitless when she found out that she was pregnant and in jail, but Henry made her change her life. He gave her something that she had been seeking for years...love and family. He was her reason for living and she would do anything for him. She worked insane hours to keep them fed and a roof over their heads. He took it all in stride, because he knew that she did it for him._

_He also knew that she did work those insane hours so she could spend more time with him while they were both awake. He was grateful for that. He was also grateful that she made enough for him to go to the private school, even if he did have a partial scholarship. He was thankful that he didn't have to go to an inner-city school. His life was good and he knew it was because she kept it that way. He knew it was also why they were so devoted to each other. They kept each other happy._

_"Ma?"_

_"Yes, Henry?" she asked, wondering what he thought he had figured out now._

_"Is work stressing you out more?"_

_"No, Henry, it isn't. The agency is doing well. We are making good money, enough that I don't have to lake any out of town jobs anymore. I can get another crew to handle it. I want to be home more for you. I am not taking that many cases anymore. I am usually in the office most days just trying to coordinate with my guys, the cops, and the courts," Emma told him._

_"That's cool, Ma."_

_"I thought so, too."_

_"Thanks for getting the tickets to the game this weekend," he told her for the umpteenth time._

_"I figured we deserved at treat."_

_"It had been a rough week," Henry replied._

_"Rough for you? What happened at school, Kid? What could have been so rough about your homework? I saw that you got it all done already. What's eating at you, Kid?" she asked him._

_"I'm sorry."_

_"For what?" she questioned him, getting worried about what he could have possibly done._

_"I am the reason you can't have a real relationship."_

_Emma pulled the car over into the emergency lane. She had to, because she almost wrecked at his response. She wasn't expecting him to be so worried about her love life. It was non-existent, but that didn't matter because she had him._

_"Henry, you aren't at fault. I just have really bad taste in guys. I can't help that the guys that I actually like and can actually deal with me having a teenage Kid all end up being losers. That has nothing to do with you. Frankly, if they can't deal with me being a mom, then they don't deserve my time."_

_"You're sure?"_

_"Henry, there is nothing more important to mc than you. I would do anything for you and I know that you know that. I don't want you to ever feel like you arc the reason I can't do anything. So much changed for me when I had your Henry, I wouldn't change a day I have with you for anything. Now, I want you to tell me why you think all the sudden that you are the reason, I'm single."_

_"Because no one sticks around."_

_"Then, I don't need them. I'm upfront about being a mom when I actually agree to go out with anyone. I also know that I am not the easiest person to deal with, but you don't have to be worried about my love life, Kid. That isn't your responsibility. I'll find someone worthy, one day."_

_"What about broadening your scope?" he asked her._

_"What are you talking about?" Emma asked him as she pulled back onto the highway._

_"Maybe you need to change what you are looking for in a guy, Ma."_

_"Like what. Henry? Why don't you tell me what I need in a guy then? What do I need?"_

_"Someone who cares for you unconditionally. Someone who can deal with your sarcasm. Someone who is willing to be my parent but understands that I will still come first in your life."_

_"That is what I have been looking for, Henry." Emma told him, and giggled a little at his comment._

_"Well, I'll keep my eye out, too, then." he answered matter-of-factly._

_Emma laughed. She saw him smile. He gave her his biggest smile and then turned to stare ahead out of the windshield. She returned his smile as they continued onward to New York._

Emma sat back and watched Regina's face. She didn't betray anything. She was just smiling at Emma.

"What?"

"Well, I told you to tell me about the dreams and you still haven't. All you have told me is that our son loves you very much and like his mother wants for everyone to be happy. I am proud of him for that."

"I am, too."

"I also find it amusing that he was going to start looking for a suitor for you as well. I like the fact that he wanted someone that made you happy and could deal with you're being a mom. I also like the fact that he hinted just a little that the person didn't have to be male."

"I caught that, too, but I never said anything to him."

"Why not?"

"I didn't want to get my hopes up that you could be real," Emma replied.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Regina just watched her from across her desk. Emma's confession wasn't lost on her, but she wasn't going to comment. She was waiting for Emma to continue. She watched Emma.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to drop this on you like this. I should go. I am sure that David I waiting for me at the station," Emma told her as she started to stand.

"Miss Swan, sit down."

Emma stared at her. Regina wasn't about to be done with their conversation. She arched an eyebrow at her and laced her fingers in front of her on the desk.

"Miss Swan, you asked for this meeting. You haven't told me why you were here. You told me about a time with you and Henry. You still have yet to explain what that story has to do with me."

Emma just looked at her. There was so much emotion crossing her face that Regina could see it all. Emma didn't know what to do. She sat back down and leaned back in the chair. She put her hands on the arms of the chair and got comfortable.

"So, are you going to tell me more about these dreams of yours?"

"I thought we were going to discuss the kiss from the other night."

"We can't just get passed that for right now. Emma, you told me that you acted out because of your dreams. So it seems that we would end up discussing you slight slip in social norms if you told me about your dreams. So why don't you get on with it?" Regina asked her.

"Fine, I guess."

Regina sat back. She took her phone off the hook. She gave Emma a smile.

"I don't suppose that I can get a drink."

"This early, Miss Swan? Really? I don't think that is appropriate."

"Spare me, Regina."

Regina stood up. She poured her a glass of her non-spiked cider. She handed it to Emma before she returned to her own seat behind the desk. Somewhere during their conversation, Regina decided that it would be more prudent for her is she kept some distance between herself and Emma. She couldn't tell if Emma noticed it or not, but she could tell how uncomfortable Emma was.

"Thanks," Emma replied.

She took a good long drink of the cider. She looked around for a place to put down her glass. When Regina noticed her plight, she pushed a coaster across her desk. Emma pulled it closer to her and sat the tumbler down on the coaster and leaned back in the chair.

"It was the night of the Sox game that dreams started. I don't know what triggered them but they did disturb me at first. After a while, I came to want them. I would get depressed when I didn't have a dream with the woman in it. I didn't know who she was or what she wanted."

"Had you seen her before then?" Regina asked her.

"I don't believe that I have."

"Could you describe her to me?"

"She was magnificent. She had dark hair and soulful brown eyes. Her lips were always rosy and red. She had this look in her eyes that drew me to her. She never told me her name, but she knew mine. She would talk to me in my dreams. She would comfort me and tell me that everything was going to be okay. If I was having problems with Henry, we would discuss them and figure out a way to make Henry happy together. It was like she was another mother for Henry."

"But, she never introduced herself?"

"No, she didn't. She made me feel things…things I had forgotten. And, she was always very compassionate when I had just gone through a bad break up. I think that may have been the trigger. I had just arrested and broken up with Jacob a few days before the game."

"So, she came to you after a break up?"

"Yeah, and for a while, I hope that she was my mother. She would tell me things about myself that no one should know. Things that not even Henry knew, but all the stories she knew stopped at around the time I had Henry. I didn't know what to make of it. I didn't push her for answers. She made me safe and helped me with everything. She made me feel better about myself, especially when I was feeling at my worst," Emma explained.

"That is a very nice thing for this dream woman to do," Regina told her.

"I thought so, too. After a few months, things changed between us. I noticed little things at first."

"Like what?" Regina asked.

"She changed the way she dressed. When she first started coming, she was always in black and red flowing dresses, and I was in white like princess. Over time, her dresses got tighter, more colorful and they plunged a little more. The dresses became more revealing. She has a great body so I didn't care. I felt like I was in a fairy tale with her."

"Her dress changed, but what about yours?"

"It did. I went from long and white princess dresses to jeans and tanks. I didn't understand it, but she said that she preferred me in my natural attire. The tanks became more like tunics with a royal seal on them over time, but I couldn't place it. The elaborate hair designs that I had in the beginning became more and more like me every day. It was like I was evolving into myself. She was helping me see that."

"That is interesting. She would come to you every night? This woman of your dreams?"

"I know that it sounds horrible, but yes, she did. I felt an attraction to her. Even when I started dating Walsh, before we came back here, I couldn't wait to see her. I never thought that I would meet her in real life. I didn't think that I would ever be able to do it, so I decided that I had to move on and be in the real world, you know? I didn't think it was fair for either of us and I knew that it wasn't fair for Henry."

"I am sure that it wasn't. But that doesn't explain your fascination with this woman. Did you pursue her when you were awake?"

"No, I didn't know who she was or where she was. I did look for her for a while when we were in New York, but there are so many people there. I thought I found her once, but it wasn't here."

"What changed your mind?"

"Walsh did."

"Why?"

"Because he didn't run from Henry. He wanted to be there with both of us. I could tell that he cared for us, well until I took the potion and realized who he really was."

"And who was that, Dear?" Regina asked.

"He was a flying monkey and one of Zelena's henchmen. He was just trying to make sure that I staying in New York. I couldn't believe that I fell for it. I couldn't believe that I wanted to marry him. It just seemed like real life was an extremely bad dream. I wanted to go to sleep for days. Hook had already given me the potion."

"I know the rest of that story. You came here to help, but you didn't know what you were getting into at the time. You remember everything, but Henry remembers nothing. We've already established that."

"But, that isn't it, Regina. That is the part that you all know. Hook kissed me trying to make me remember. He figured that he was my 'true love' and that it would make me wake up and remember. There was only one problem," Emma stated.

"He wasn't your true love?" Regina asked with a smirk.

"That much is true. He gave me the potion later. Once I remembered everything, I wanted to go to sleep again and talk to the woman."

"Why didn't you?"

"I tried. She'd disappeared. I don't know what happened. She was just gone."

"What do you mean?" Regina asked.

"I would be in the castle or wherever we would be in my dreams. Everything was how I remembered it, but she wasn't there. It was like she just vanished. There was no one there. All the people that we might have seen before were gone," Emma explained.

"There were other people in these dreams?"

"Yeah, but they never really interacted with me. It was like they couldn't see me. But, she never kept me in the castle long. We would tour the grounds and woods. Once she even took me to a lake bed."

"A lake bed?"

"Yeah, something about finding something she'd lost. She was disappointed to find out that there was no water left. She tried to summon some from the mud, but it didn't work."

"She had magic?" Regina questioned.

"Yes."

"And, that is why you think that she was me?"

"It made sense to me. Who else do I know that would have such invested interest in Henry? But, she was gone. I didn't put any of it together until I remembered everything from before. I could remember you. I don't know if my brain was trying to make me remember you or if my magic was trying to make me conjure you because Henry needed you, too."

"Well, I am sure that would be a first," Regina added.

"I am sure, like most magical things are for me. When I remembered who you were, and you were the first that I remembered, it started to make sense to me. When we got back, everything seemed to be clear to me, except for the Zelena part. I had to find you, but I knew that you would know what happened after I spoke with my parents. I was a little surprised to find out that they were pregnant but couldn't remember how far along."

"Yes, it was quite a surprise to wake up here, again."

"I not surprised. I am sorry that there wasn't something that I could have done. I feel like we were trying to do something to stop Zelena before she cast her curse. I know that Henry would want me to come back and help, but I have to admit that it was hard. I could remember you, but he couldn't. I left before trying to sleep. We drove all night to get here."

"I know that, Dear."

"What you don't know, is that once I got here, the dreams started again."

"And?"

"You were the woman," Emma told her.

"How can that be? I haven't had any dreams of you. I would certainly remember them, if I had."

"I don't know. The only thing that I do know is that the dreams stopped when I think the curse was cast. It wasn't until I woke from the memories that you gave me that I knew it was you. The dreams started again once I got back. The woman changed. She was no longer in dresses. She was in power suits and had shorted her hair. Her face became more defined to me."

"How so?"

"Your scar, I recognized it. You smelled of apples again. Memories of you began to blend with the memories I had of you from here in Storybrooke. Even our disagreements made sense to us both."

Regina gasped. Emma looked at her. She didn't know what to do. She figured that she had said too much. She stood up. It was all too much and her natural habit to run took over. She was the mayor's office door before she realized it.

Regina was fast on her heels. She pushed Emma into the door. She spun Emma around. Emma looked into her brown eyes with her emerald green. There were so many questions for them both to answer.

"Regina, just let me go."

"I will not."

"Why not, Regina?"

"Because, I dreamt about you, too."

"You lied to me."

"Of course, I did. Do you think that I wanted to believe that you were the woman in my dreams? We haven't always been friends, Emma."

"Do you think that…"

"I've tried not to over think things since you got back, Dear. I am trying to figure out how to make Henry remember me. I am trying to figure how not to get lynched for a curse I didn't do. I am trying to figure out how to defeat Zelena, but I have no idea who or what she is."

"You don't have to do it alone."

"She is my problem."

"She is our problem, Regina. Our dreams brought us back together. We are going to fight her together."

"And, why is that, Miss Swan?"

"Because I am not letting you do this alone. I owe you for all the help while I was with Henry, alone. I am not leaving you. I promised Henry once that I wouldn't let anything happen to you. I meant it then, and I mean it, now," Emma told her.

Regina's eyes got wider. She still had Emma against the door. She knew that if Emma wanted to leave she could have. Regina didn't physically have the power to keep her there. There was a wildness in Emma's eyes that Regina has only seen a few nights before.

"Tell me something, Miss Swan," she commanded.

"What is that?"

"Did something happen between you and this woman in your dreams?"

"I would rather not say."

"Tell me."

"I don't think that you would like the answer," Emma told her.

Regina's eyes got dark with lust. She had a woman that she spared with against her door. She had Emma in her hands. She didn't want to let her go. She wanted Emma to understand that she wanted her to kiss her the other night. She held Emma by her shirt. Emma looked down into her eyes. She could see her own lust reflected in Regina's.

Regina quit thinking about what she wanted to say. She quit thinking about the fact that she was Emma and Snow's daughter. She quit overthinking and trying to rationalize why she shouldn't want Emma just as much as it seemed that Emma wanted her.

She leaned forward and kissed Emma. Emma didn't respond at first. She was in shock that Regina had actually kissed her, this time. When Emma realized what was going on, she deepened the kiss. By that time, Regina had buried her hands in Emma's long golden locks. She pulled Emma closer. She felt their bodies melding together in the heat of the moment.

Emma pulled away when she couldn't breathe anymore. She looked at Regina and held her face. She smiled at her, but didn't say anything.

"It was you, wasn't it? In my dreams? It was you," Emma stated.

"I don't know, but if it was..."

Emma didn't let her finish the thought. She pulled her closer. Emma studied her face.

"It was you," Emma stated and kissed her harder than before.

Regina leaned in as close as she could and moaned into Emma's mouth. She didn't care at the moment. She knew that she wanted Emma and Emma wanted her. The rest they would deal with because they would fight it together. They had learned that together they were stronger. Regina reasoned that this was the reason that they were meant to be together.

Emma pulled back and looked at Regina. The questions were back. Regina didn't like it.

"What are we going to tell Henry?"

"Forget about Henry, he'll be easy. I am more worried about telling your parents. I don't think that they are going to be as accepting as you would like. They are the Charmings after all."

"Yes, they are, but then again, so am I. They should know better than to fight true love. We've fought through curses to come back together. We've used dream worlds to be together, Regina. They can't argue against that, can they?"

"You obviously don't know your mother very well, Dear?"

"She doesn't know me, then, or you for that matter."

"What do you plan on doing?" Regina asked her.

"I have no clue. I was hoping that you did. I just…I needed to know how you felt about me."

"I think that I have answered that question for you, Miss Swan."

"That you have. I'll look into the curse and Zelena with Dad. Why don't you spend some time with our son? I am sure that it would be fun for him to be given a tour with the mayor and some ice cream."

"Emma…"

"He is our son. You are just as much his mother as I am. He will remember you. Just spend some time with him. Maybe it will make him remember."

"It couldn't hurt."

"No, it won't."

"Bring him by tonight for dinner. I want you both to come. I'll make lasagna."

"Good, because no one does it like you," Emma stated.

"And, your parents?"

"I'll deal with them, Regina. They are going to have to learn to deal with it. I may be there daughter, but I am older than both of them now. Plus, they have enough to worry about with the baby on the way. I can assure you that you are the least of their worries right now," Emma told her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Emma paced outside the apartment. She didn't know what to say to Snow. She had left Regina's office with a goofy grin on her face. She was happy that she and Regina had talked. She was happier about the kiss that Regina gave her, but she was troubled by it as well.

As she had driven back across town in her bug, she realized that she was moving forward on the dreams and the memories of the dreams. Regina was basing her feelings on what? Emma didn't know. It bothered her. She needed to know what Regina was basing her thoughts and feelings on now.

She knocked on the door, but suddenly felt stupid for doing it. She wanted to talk to Snow alone. She knew that David was out patrolling. That meant that Henry and Snow had been alone. She knew that Regina would like to spend time with Henry. She wondered if now would be a good time while she spent some much needed time with her mother.

Snow opened the door with a puzzled look on her face. She didn't know why Emma had knocked, either. She ushered her in, seeing the look on her face, and bade her to sit at the table. She went to the kitchen to make some tea.

"Henry?"

"Yeah, Ma?"

"You want to go on a tour of the town?"

"Sure," he said, realizing that his mother needed to talk with Mary Margaret alone.

"I'll call the mayor. I am sure that she would love to give you a tour. Who better would give you a personalized tour than the mayor? I hear she knows this town better than anyone," Emma told him.

"Sounds cool," Henry said, going back to his game.

"What was that about?" Snow asked as she sat down at the table, handing Emma a cup of tea.

"Regina wants to spend time with him. He is still her son, even if he doesn't remember it. And, I wanted to talk with you. There are some things that I need to know."

"Alright," Snow replied, taking a sip of her tea.

"Let me call Regina first."

Emma pulled out her cell phone and called the mayor's office from memory. Snow just arched an eyebrow, saying nothing, but taking another sip of tea. Emma just shot her mother a look as she waited for Regina to pick up the phone.

"Mayor's office, how can I help you today, sir or ma'am?" the assistant answered the phone.

"I need to speak with Regina, please," Emma told her.

"May I ask who is calling?"

"Tell her it is Sheriff Swan." Emma replied, out of old habit.

Snow gave her a look. Emma gave her a questioning look back. Snow gestured towards Henry and Emma finally caught on to what her mother was trying to tell her. She shrugged it off as she waited for Regina to pick up the call.

"Already, Miss Swan, you are being insatiable," Regina purred into the phone.

Emma winced, quickly, but answered, "I need a favor."

"This sounds important. I assume that it has nothing to do with us. You have my interest. Please continue. What is your favor?"

"I know that you want to spend time with Henry. I was wondering if you could come get him and take him on a town tour. He said that it would fine with him. I'm sure that he would like to get ice cream with you as well."

"You sound different. Emma. What's wrong? Who is there with you?" Regina asked.

"I am with Mary Margaret and we are going to be making baby plans. I know that Henry doesn't want to be here while we are talking about that. I was trying to get him to meet my old friends here from Storybrooke. He has been questioning me about my time here. I am sure that you would be happy to enlighten him about the 'bounty' that I helped you with all those years ago," Emma explained.

"You're with Snow?"

"Yes."

"Is there something wrong?"

"No."

"You're sure about this, Miss Swan?" Regina asked.

Emma could hear the emotion rising in her voice. There was nothing that she could do about it. She needed to talk to Snow and Henry needed to get to know his other mother. She hoped that Regina wouldn't push the issue now. They would have dinner together later. They could discuss it then.

"Yes, that would be fine. I'll see you in a few minutes. I am sure you know where Mary Margaret's place is," Emma finally replied.

"I'll see you then, but do not think that this conversation is over," Regina warned.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Emma responded, smiling, before she hung up the phone.

"So, Regina is going to take Henry out?" Snow asked her.

"Yes," Emma replied, simply and quickly, before taking another sip of her tea.

"You going to tell me what is going on with you. Something is wrong. I can tell," Snow told her before leaning over the table and whispering to her, "And, that isn't just mother's intuition."

Emma nodded. She was glad that when she met Snow they had become friends before she found out that she was her mother. It made the transition a little easier considering she was older than her own mother by about four years. She also felt like she could talk to her about things that normally a daughter couldn't talk with her mother about.

"I know that, but I want to wait until Henry is gone before I do."

"You better. I don't like seeing you like this. Especially since, I can't really act like your mother."

Emma hung her head. She knew that her mother had a point. She was being vague and not forthcoming with her problems. She also knew that it hurl Snow not to be able to "mother" her, now. She knew that she was used to taking care of herself. She also knew that since Snow and David realized that they were her parents that had done everything that they could to be there for her.

"I know, Snow...I mean Mary Margaret and I am sorry for that. I don't mean to hurt you and David. I just don't want Henry to freak out. He isn't the same boy that you remember. He believes in things, but he doesn't remember growing up here. I don't know what I would do to him to realize that he had."

"I know that. Emma. We all know that. It is why we have all agreed to keep the fairy tale and magic talk to a minimum and almost non-existent when he is around. We are all trying for you, dear."

"I know. Don't think that I'm not grateful. I am. I just don't know what to do."

"You don't know what to do about what?"

"Regina," Emma said quietly.

Snow sat back in her chair. She wasn't sure that she'd heard Emma correctly. She was afraid that if she asked her to repeat herself that she wouldn't. She also didn't get a chance because there was a knock at the door. Snow got up and answered it.

"Regina." Snow said. "Come in. I'll get Emma."

"Thank you," Regina replied.

She followed Snow into the apartment and over to the table where they were sitting, drinking tea. She eyed Emma noting the strain in her eyes, but she didn't question her aloud. Emma saw the look and just stared back down at the table and then her mug of tea.

Snow and Regina both saw the guilt that flooded Emma's eyes. Neither of them said anything as Regina joined them at the table. Snow kicked Emma under the table to bring her back to the conversation. Emma looked up, defeated, but not broken, and smiled at her mother.

"So, I understand that you would like me to take Henry out on a tour?" Regina asked, trying to pry something out of Emma.

"Yes," Emma replied, quickly.

"Care to tell me why?" Regina asked.

"Because I know that you want to spend time with him."

"Is that the only reason?" Snow asked Emma.

"No, I would like to talk to my mother as my mother without lying to my son."

"We wouldn't want that," Regina said, not trying to mask the venom in her statement.

"Regina," Snow stated.

"I know. She needs to talk with you. I don't like the fact that she is lying to our son. I just expect you to be at my house for dinner. I would like to discuss our further plans on defeating Zelena."

"I'll be there." Emma stated with a non-committed air.

Emma set down her mug and left Regina in the dining area with Snow as she went to get Henry. He was still engrossed in his video game. He didn't even look up when she plopped down on the couch beside him. She smiled. She knew that she would miss moments like this with him once he remembered everything. She sighed. He heard her, paused the game and looked up at his mother.

"Ma, what's wrong?"

"The Mayor is here."

"Okay?"

"She wants to give you that tour of town that she promised," Emma told him.

"Ma?"

"Yeah, Henry?"

"Why are you lying to me?"

"I am not. She is over there with Mary Margaret. She is waiting to take you on the tour of town."

"Why is she really taking me?"

"You got me, Kid. I forgot that you inherited my 'lie detector.' I need to talk about my case with Mary Margaret. Things might get a little heated and I don't want you to hear it. Plus, you've gotten to spend time with all my old friends. I figured that you would like to see the town with the Mayor. You might find that you have a lot more in common than you think. I think that you'll have fun with her. She is even taking you for some ice cream," Emma told him.

"Ice cream, huh? This case must be bad, if you are letting me go out for ice cream with her. Fine, but I want you to tell me the truth about this case later. I don't like how it is making you so secretive. We promised each other that there wouldn't be any more secrets after we left Boston, Ma. I am going to hold you to that. Will you do that'?" Henry asked her.

"I'll do my best, Henry. Some things might have to wait until the case is over. But, I promise the things that I am not telling you about right now are for your protection, okay?"

"Okay, Ma. Hey, do you think that later I could hang out with David? He is the sheriff, right."

"If he isn't too busy, and yes, he is the sheriff now," Emma replied with a tinge of pain in her voice.

"Cool."

"Henry, I expect you to be good for the Mayor. Don't be too sarcastic with her. She doesn't like that."

"Me, sarcastic? Never, Ma, never. I'll be good. You solve your case. I am sure that I will learn some more about your time here in Storybrooke that you failed to tell me about before," Henry stated.

"I know, Henry. I am sorry for that. It was a long time ago and after Phoenix. I wasn't exactly in a good place then. I am sure that the Mayor will tell you plenty about me, though. She is a good person, though, so hopefully it won't all be bad," Emma told him.

"I am sure that it won't, Ma. But, if you had me in Phoenix, after you got out. Why did you end up here? Why don't I remember it'?" he asked her.

Snow walked over. Regina was right behind her. They had heard the bulk of their conversation and fell had for Emma. They both knew that she was doing her best for him, since he didn't know about everything with them and the fairy tales. It was one thing that Snow and Regina could agree on.

"You were very little, Henry," Snow offered.

"I was?"

"Yes, Henry, you were a baby when your mother came here to stay with Sn...Mary Margaret. Then, she moved on to Boston with her job. She wasn't here with you very long, but she did leave a lasting impression on the people here." Regina told him.

"But, why don't you talk about it?"

"Because some things happened, and I had to leave."

"Like what?" Henry asked them.

"She got a lead on your father and went to go find him," Snow explained.

"In Boston?"

"Yeah, Kid, it was in Boston. David was trying to help me find him. He got a report from there that he was there. I didn't even think about it. I left the next day. It was kinda sudden. I hurt a lot of people here because I left the way I did. I didn't even really give them the time to explain," Emma lied.

"But, we understood. She was doing it for you, Henry. She wanted to give you the best chance at a life with both your parents. She has always done everything that she can for you as long as she has had you, Henry. Even when it didn't seem like it, she was putting you first," Regina stated.

"She loves you very much, Henry. Never doubt that. She may do things that make you question her, like her leaving Storybrooke and not telling you about it. But, I know that she had her reasons, and she didn't do it to hurt you. Sometimes, it is hard for us to admit that our actions effect more than us."

Emma and Regina looked at Snow. They knew that she was talking about all of them. They all had done things for Henry and for their own lives without thinking about what it would do to everyone else. It was a peace offering and an acknowledgment between them all. Emma watched the silent agreement between Regina and Snow and could only wonder what happened between them in the year that no one could remember.

"So, are you ready to go, Henry?" Regina asked him, breaking their silence.

"Yes, Miss Mayor, I am."

"It is Madam Mayor, Henry," Emma corrected.

"Don't worry about that, Henry. You can call me Miss Mills, if you would like. I don't think you have had too much interaction with many people involved in politics, have you?" Regina asked him.

"You should meet some of my classmates," Henry stated.

"I am sure."

"Let me get my jacket and then I'll be ready," Henry said, putting his hand held video game on the coffee table in front of him as he stood up.

"You've done well with him, Miss Swan," Regina told her and meant it.

"I had a good base to work with, plus plenty of memories to help me."

Emma could see the tears in Regina's eyes. She could only imagine the Hell that Regina was going through with Henry not knowing who she was. She knew what it would do to her if she was in the same position. She also knew that Regina did what she had to do to protect them all and save Henry.

Snow leaned over and told Regina, "He'll remember you. And, when he does, it will be magical. Don't ever forget how much he loved you. He still does. He still will. He understood why you sent them away. He'll understand it, again, when her remembers."

"I know that."

"Do you? Because I didn't. It took me a long time to come to terms with what happened. It wasn't until we were in Neverland, that I finally came to grips with Emma's thoughts about the situation. I did what I did so she would have her best chance. Did it work out the way I hoped that it would? No, it didn't, but she grew into a fine woman, a woman that I proud to call my daughter."

"Mom..."

"Well, it's true." Snow stated.

"I think I understand what you are saying. It will take time, but that still doesn't excuse the entire mess that I created before that. I can't blame anyone but myself for this situation. If I hadn't cast the..."

"Ready?" Henry asked interrupting them.

"Yes, Dear, I am. I'll see you both later. Hopefully, you will find what you are looking for and you'll figure out what needs to be done," Regina told Emma more than Snow, realizing that Emma needing to talk to her mother was about their relationship and nothing more, smiling as she took her son's hand to go out for a tour of Storybrooke and some much needed ice cream together.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Snow watched her daughter as she sat back down at the table. There was obviously something on her mind. She just wished that Emma would come on out with it. She could tell that it was tearing her up inside and that Emma was scared.

"You want to tell me what is eating at you now?"

"Not really," Emma replied.

"Emma, you came over here to talk, not just sit here and stare at me. You even sent Henry away with the Mayor. I know that this has nothing to do with looking for the witch or the fact that you've come back to Storybrooke. So, what is it that brought you here?" Snow asked her.

"It is about Regina."

"What about her?" Snow asked, taking a sip of tea.

"She was the first thing that I remembered after I took the potion."

"Oh?"

"Yes, I already had Henry. But, a memory of her was the first thing that flashed through my brain. It wasn't of you or father. It wasn't of a time here with Henry. It was of Regina."

"And, that bothers you?"

"No, it doesn't."

"Then why are you so worried about it. What has you so upset about Regina that you would need to come talk to me about it? You have been vocal with her in the past. You've stood up to her. What is it about now that has you so worried?"

"It isn't really Regina that has me worried," Emma stated.

"Could you be more cryptic about this? Are you going to make me pry it out of you? Just tell me what is going on," Snow demanded.

"I think that I am in love with Regina," Emma blurted.

Snow slowly, carefully, almost methodically set her tea cup down on the table before her. She folded her hands in front of her. And, slowly, she looked up and met the eyes of her daughter. Snow didn't know what she was looking for in her daughter's pale but vivid green eyes, but she found nothing that would think that Emma was under some spell.

"I see."

"That is all you can say?"

"Do you want me to ask you if you are under some spell? Would that make you happy? What do you want me to say to you? Do you want me to be happy about this?" Snow asked.

"I don't know what I want you to say. I just felt like I should tell you. I don't know what I am doing. I don't know how it happened. All I know is that I had this feeling since I got back and nothing made sense until a few days ago, when I went to see Regina," Emma told her.

"What did she say?"

"We talked about some things that had been bothering me. I needed some clarification about my dreams and my memories while you were in the Enchanted Forest. There were things that I knew happened to you, things that didn't make sense to me then, things that I shouldn't have known or seen. There was a woman in them, someone that I knew but I couldn't remember," Emma stated.

"It was Regina?"

"I didn't know. I couldn't explain the familiarity of her. She was a woman that came to me in dreams. She was someone that I could talk to and she helped me with Henry. She was a comforting presence when I felt all alone. At first, I thought that she was mother. I thought that she was some queen in a magical place, but I didn't know that I was right. We would spend hours, days sometimes, just talking and walking in the gardens of the Winter palace. It wasn't until I consulted Henry's book that I knew it was the castle that you grew up in. I began to think that the woman was you in the beginning, but the more I remembered from my dreams while living in New York, I knew that she couldn't be my mother."

"Why?"

"It was the way she acted towards. There was a love, a feeling that went beyond familiar. It was more like a passion in depth rather than a consistency of blood."

"Did she…she love you in these dreams?"

"I think she did. I couldn't be certain, because they are dreams after all. I had to know. I had to know why it was Regina that I had been thinking about since I took the potion. I had to know why I smiled inside every time that I saw her. I needed to know why I wanted to see her so much," Emma stated.

"You were drawn to her?"

"Like you to David," Emma replied.

"I see."

"Please don't."

"Please don't, what, Emma?"

"Don't bring up the fact that she was the 'Evil Queen'." Snow started, "But, you have to understand why this concerns me. She tried to destroy our family so many times, but even I couldn't stay angry with her for that after Neverland. She had tried to pay for her sins. She had done everything to keep Henry safe and happy. It doesn't surprise me that she found a way into your dreams so she could be closer to him. I am sure that she was very depressed and upset that we were stuck in the Enchanted Forest with no way to get back to you."

"She was. I could tell. I don't think that she could go to Henry. Somehow, however, she could get to me. And, before you ask, I don't think that was her plan. I think that she was trying to get to Henry. I don't know how or why, but I am thankful for what she did, coming to me in dreams," Emma explained.

"You're grateful for her coming to your dreams? Emma, she used you a vessel to get to your son. You were just a connection to Henry," Snow stated.

"In the beginning, yes, I believe that I was. As time went on, I don't think that was case. Our conversations turned from Henry to me. It was like she was trying to get to know me, like she wanted to know more about me, not just want she had assumed or learned about in my brief time in Storybrooke."

"Your conversations changed?"

"Yes, she actually cared about me. She asks about me before she would bring up Henry towards the end. It was as if the mere thought of Henry being unhappy plagued her. I am sure that it did, but he was happy. She would ask me if he was happy and then move on to other subjects."

"Such as?" Snow asked.

"How things were my bounty hunter business? Was I dating anyone? Did they like Henry? Did Henry like them? But, she seemed to take a marked interest in my well-being," Emma stated.

"Of course she did. You are Henry's mother. Henry would want you to be happy. If you aren't happy, then Henry isn't happy. We all know that."

"Then why did she kiss me?"

Snow shook her head in disbelief. She stared into the viridian eyes of her daughter, but she couldn't come up with a good answer. Why would Regina kiss her? Was she trying to get back at Snow by getting with her daughter? Even Regina wasn't that shallow and…evil.

"I don't know."

"I didn't either."

"What happened then?"

"I felt like I couldn't wait to go to sleep. I couldn't wait to see her again. I couldn't wait to talk to her, to be with her, just walk through the woods with her. I didn't care. I couldn't wait to go to sleep at night and I hated to wake up. Things seemed better in my dreams…with her," Emma replied.

"They usually do, Emma. That is why they are dreams. They give us hope."

"She did give me hope. She gave me hope that I would find my family one day. I didn't know that I found them and lost them, again. I was still going off of pre-Storybrooke memories plus the altered ones that she gave me. They were all happy memories, but some things even a spell can't change. I was still an orphan. I was still Emma Swan, the lost girl that no one wanted. But, in my new reality, I had kept Henry. I was the one that raised him. The memories she gave me had to be a compilation of hers mixed with mine. The only problem was my time in Storybrooke."

"I thought you said that you were in New York. What does that have to do with Storybrooke? What did she do with those memories?"

"She couldn't let me keep them. I would have come back here looking for you all. She knew that. So, when Henry would have come to find me and bring me to Storybrooke, in our reality, there was an apartment fire and we moved to New York thanks to an old boss that wanted to give me his business. It just worked out. I got Henry in a good school. He made friends fast. It wasn't like we were really starting over. It was like we were just moving on from Boston. I don't know how to explain it. I can't really explain it," Emma told her.

"She gave you a better life, a happy life," Snow said, almost begrudgingly.

"She did. I almost didn't want to come back here, Mom. We were happy. Henry was happy. He was doing well in school. He knows that something is off. He knows that me being here is more than just a case. He will be good and not question it for a while, but eventually…"

"He'll start asking questions that we won't be ready to answer?"

"Exactly."

Snow picked up her cup of tea and took a sip. Emma did the same thing. She watched Snow's mannerisms and smiled.

"What?" Snow asked.

"Henry does the same thing when he is nervous about telling me something," Emma stated.

"Does what?"

"You both have a tell when you drink something from mug," Emma explained.

"I am sure that you do it, too, then," Snow affirmed.

"I know I do. It is just funny how much I act like you and David, but you weren't the ones that raised me. It amazes me how much of Neal and Regina I see in Henry, but then I see you and Charming in him, too."

"Emma…"

"Look, I'm sorry. I know that I shouldn't have told you anything. I don't know what to do."

"What do you mean?"

"The only true relationship that I have ever had with anyone was with Neal and we both know how that worked out."

"Does she care for you?"

"I believe that she does."

"And, that isn't enough for you?" Snow asked her pointedly.

"Would it be for you?"

"I would be looking for the dagger she was going to plunge into my heart, but I am not the one that she kissed, Emma. That was you. I can't speak for Regina. I don't know her feelings for you. I only know what you have told me. Have you talked with her about this?"

"A little."

"And?"

"She is afraid of you," Emma answered matter-of-factly.

"She should be."

"Snow!"

"What? You're my daughter. I wouldn't want her to hurt you. But, there is one thing that I know about Regina and I know it better than most," Snow stated.

"Yeah, and what's that?"

"She loves fiercely and with all of her heart when she does love someone. She will do whatever it takes for the ones that she loves. She would endure Hell on Earth if she thought that it would bring her to the ones that she loves and to keep them safe. Her entire gambit against your father and me was because of a mistake that I made in trusting her mother when I was child. She went on a rampage because her mother killed her boyfriend."

"Yeah, but she came after you," Emma said.

"Because, I was the one who told her mother about Daniel. It was my fault that he died. I was the one who couldn't keep a secret. I didn't know what Cora was capable of doing until I was older. By then, it was too late for me to try to salvage a relationship with Regina. I had become the object of her rage and she needed to destroy it. I didn't understand her pain…fully…until I saw your father, lying in his own blood, holding his sword, just after he put you in the wardrobe."

"You never…"

"Said anything about that? No, I couldn't. I was cursed for twenty-eight years just after that. I had to live here as a school teacher, who was afraid of her own shadow most days, for twenty-eight years. Then one day, this smart, sassy, bold and brazen blonde comes to town bringing Henry home. I immediately felt a connection to you, a camaraderie, if you will. You trusted me when you trusted no one else. You fought for me when no one else would. I know what that meant to me as your friend, but after realizing that I was your mother…. It made if even more special to me, because I remembered what you said about growing up here," Snow explained.

"You care for her, too?"

"Regina? Yes, I do. She saved my life. She was to be my step-mother. She was only a few years older than me and she treated me more like a kid sister in the beginning. I loved her for it. I wanted a mother, but I wanted someone who would be a friend and a companion. It was lonely being a princess sometimes," Snow stated.

"And, you wanted that life for me?"

"Not my life, no. I wanted so much more for you. I wanted you to experience…everything, the balls, the gowns, the feasts. I wanted to teach you to ride a horse and shoot an arrow. I am sure that your father would have taught you to use a sword. You could have been anything that you wanted to be."

"I still can."

"Emma, tell me truthfully: do you love her?"

"I think that I might."

"You think?"

"I don't know, but I know that she makes me happy and that I want to be with her."

"Alright."

"That's it? Alright? What the hell does that mean?"

"It means that I won't stop you. I want you to follow your heart and find your happiness, Emma, even if it is with Regina. I don't have to like it, but it is your choice. I won't stand in your way. I will however expect your father to have a very long talk with her," Snow said simply.

"A long talk? He isn't going to pull some shotgun out and demand that she marries me, is he? Because I don't think that either of us would handle that situation very well," Emma replied

"No, he won't do that. I am sure that he will want to know what her intentions are with you. You are still royalty. There are certain things that must be done. Besides, it isn't your father you need to be worried about telling. He is always on the side of love. You're proof of that. Plus, I'll talk to him," Snow explained.

"Who should we be worried about then?" Emma asked.

"Henry."

"Why?"

"He doesn't know who he really is, anymore."


End file.
